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Living an Authentic Life

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The CFI Forum is operated by the Center for Inquiry, a nonprofit educational and advocacy organization. The Forum supports the interests of CFI by creating an online community of supporters and interested inquirers into CFI’s areas of concern, which can be generally described as advancing the enlightenment project, fostering an evidence-based, scientific outlook and humanist values.

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I’m not entirely sure this is what a genuine life is. I don’t believe we humans have a true nature like it says and what they mean by a genuine life sounds like more of their own opinion rather than what actually constitutes it.

That said, I have heard authenticity tossed around a bit in existentialism. Though I wasn’t sure to what extent such a life is possible. Is something authentic because we say so? If that’s the case then does true authenticity exist or is it just our definition of it?

I heard that in the US there are different kinds of breakfast cereals. I’m wondering what some of the more common kinds are down in the States. (Only healthy ones though, nothing processed or with too much added sugar.)

I usually add plain rolled oats to whatever I’m having if it’s sweetened. Quaker Harvest Crunch and other granola-type cereals are my staples.

I eat cereal for breakfast every day, so after years and years of the same kinds, it would be interesting to see what else is out there.

I’d totally try that bean-based cereal. There’s no way I’d have given it a second look on the shelf because the box is terrible, it looks like a sugar coated, marshmallow filled kid cereal. Unfortunately the price is crazy- I would eat a box each morning, and it’s over $8 American per box, so, with milk, I’d be paying $10 a day for breakfast.

I think there are the equivalent of ‘Impossible Burgers’ in Canada (I heard that A&W had one a few years ago) but I’m not sure since I don’t see ads on TV or eat at fast food restaurants. But I would try one to see what they’re like. As a farm kid I know my beef and what a burger should taste like, so it would have to be pretty authentic to pass my test.

Xain wrote: “I’m not entirely sure this is what a genuine life is. I don’t believe we humans have a true nature like it says and what they mean by a genuine life sounds like more of their own opinion rather than what actually constitutes it.”

Xain, you keep going back to these Buddhist sites as if deep down inside you truly feel that they have something of value to teach you. But then you seem to rush to judgement about what they’re trying to tell you. Take it slowly. Really read what the author is saying. Sit still for a moment and really think about the words. What he’s saying is that, especially in the modern world we are easily distracted by things, by our devices and gadgets, by the news of what’s happening in the world, by our friends, by our jobs, by our own fantasies of what kind of life we SHOULD be having, and in consequence our minds are so busy that we don’t take time to just BE. How often do people just sit still and experience what’s going on? That is what he means by a genuine life.

As for the shopping list, I thought you’ve read a lot of Zen and Tao stuff – I’d think you’d recognize the tactic

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In the words of a pretty smart fellow: “Sit still for a moment and really think about the words. What he’s saying is that, especially in the modern world we are easily distracted …”

From your read: Being precise means focusing on what gets in the way of clarity in practice. We need to focus particularly on the addictions that keep us encased in a substitute life. I’m not talking about the most obvious addictions, like the chemical addictions to drugs or alcohol. I’m talking about more subtle addictions to which we all fall prey.

Let’s start with our addiction to comfort. I’m talking about the ways we manipulate our experience in an effort to find comfort and avoid pain. We’ve all got it to some degree. What does yours look like? Does it manifest as avoiding sitting meditation when you don’t feel like it, or as moving around during sitting even when the instruction is to sit still? Can you see it in your attachment to food or sleep or fantasizing? …